It Is Recommendsday, My Dudes #34 · 8:21pm Nov 10th, 2021
So one thing that's been low-level annoying me for a while about this series is that I do two stories a week. And, because of how things work out and some extras I've put up before, currently there's an odd total number of stories on the shelf.
It's small. It's dumb. It has no bearing on anything.
I'm doing three stories this week so it stops bothering me.
Fortunately I've got a topic that works for: the Wonderbolts.
We'll start the trio off with PatchworkPoltergeist's With Your Shield Or On It.
When a Search & Rescue gets called in, Spitfire sends off Fleetfoot to find the missing foal. Fleetfoot isn't happy as she's paired with the slowest, most lackadaisical member of the Wonderbots: Silver Lining.
Fleetfoot makes no secret from the start she doesn't like him - he's everything she isn't and the weakest link in the team. But the two set out into the woods near Tall Tale to find a lost filly. And when they find her... well, that's when things go off the rails and the situation gets a lot more dire.
Part of why I love this story - aside from being excellently written - is that it hits two of my soft spots: stories that take place off-camera during main events and the 'heroic sacrifice' trope. And this story leverages them both in spades.
It helps that the characterizations are so strong: Silver Lining is quite laid-back for a sports professional, but he's also very self-aware and demonstrates repeatedly why being the weakest link in the Wonderbolts doesn't detract from the fact that he's a damn Wonderbolt. And Fleetfoot is exactly the sort of envelope-pushing jock you'd expect on the team, tempered by a deep care for her team and responsibilities. In their struggle to survive a simple mission going wrong (and the fallout afterwards), the two really get to shine. (Spitfire, as well, has some excellent parts when the camera gives her some time.)
All in all, a great drama with a bit of tense action in the mix and some great character along with it.
Second, a little palette cleanser. Open To All is a short comedy by Casketbase77, one of the site's experts in the flash fic.
Fleetfoot shows up again as the star here as she sits down with one of the newest crop of cadet prospects. And this one's unusual - Redcap's a breezie. And now she has to let him down gently.
I don't think I need to go much deeper into the story summary than that - but I will say that I'm not convinced this is a comedy. Sure, it's light-hearted and you can get a chuckle from the silliness of it. But at the core? This story (much like Redcap) has got too much heart to be written off as a silly joke. Fleetfoot does her rank proud with how she handles the situation, and Redcap's earnest eagerness touches my heart just right. It's worth a laugh, but it's also a good bit of light drama as well. Which, I think, makes the comedy part of it shine all the brighter.
Third but absolutely not least is a fic I've been a fan of for quite a while: The Wonderbolt Academy's New Volunteers by Jay Watson.
One of the writers and stories that goes under the radar, this one primarily follows Gallus and Silverstream as they try out as the first non-pegasus recruits for the Wonderbolts. At first they sign up to bail Rainbow Dash out of a tight spot, but soon they're fighting to show they're up to the task and not just pity picks.
The cast is packed with a bunch of different recruits on their level - more than I could reasonably outline in this space, but plenty to make the batch of recruits feel full and varied. They've all got their quirks as well - strengths, weaknesses, egos, prejudices and agendas - to create interesting dramatic interplay.
Quite a bit of effort goes into the exercises themselves, too: Jay Watson takes the time to show not just what the various tests and trainings do and why they're a challenge, but also brings into focus the unique angles that a griffon and a hippogriff (and their wildly different body structures) have to deal with.
It's a wonderful bit of drama from a largely overlooked writer and story, and I've been happily following it for a long time now.
New or catching up? Try Recommendsday: The Index for your story needs!
That's twice in a row your Recommendsdays have reminded me of a story I'd read (and enjoyed) but forgotten about! Last week it was "Tattletale Princess", this week it's "Open To All". No less wonderful than finding out about a good story for the first time.
Wow, an ongoing fic with no pic by an blank avatar. I would never have given this a glance but it sounds amazing.
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It has its rough moments (I mean, what writer hasn't had those?) but it's a story I've enjoyed because it's got a lot of heart and a pretty interesting hook. And yeah, wasn't kidding about it going under the radar - that combo is an automatic 'pass without even reading the description' for a lot of readers.